December 18, 2007

Tomlinson Interviewed in Globe and Mail - One day of GIS training in Ontario makes you a specialist

Another great read in the Globe and Mail as a new article touches on the birth and history of GIS and it's Canadian roots from Tomlinson. I love this paragraph which is so bang on..."It's not for lack of trying. Every school in Ontario has a free GIS software package... but the subject often doesn't get taught because of a shortage of trained teachers. "One day of GIS training in Ontario makes you a specialist," Dr. Tomlinson grumbled. "That's abominable!"

Indeed, how often have you seen that one person in an office or organization that has used Google Earth or maybe ArcView or ArcExplorer for a day and they are the one that moves on to be the champion of GIS within the organization. In this day and age with so much training, certification, post-grad edu programs etc... yet most people are likely learning about GIS from novices that share a slight interest in maps or computers. Check it out - I also love this quote.. "A map is one thing, but knowing exactly where you are on a map is another"